Spells and Spiders
by Kristen Riddle
Summary: Hermione has disappeared! Harry and Ron must both fight their greatest fears to save her.
1. Chapter 1

****

Spells and Spiders

~*RW*~

Hermione had been greatly weakened by all the excitement and motion of the last few days. She took to sleeping most of the day, and none of the Weasleys would allow her to leave, even though she knew she was imposing on them.

"As long as you're not eating, it's okay," said Ginny jokingly. Fred, Angelina, and George were frequent visitors, though the twins no longer lived in the Burrow. The wedding was in August, only two months away, and they were holding it in the back garden. Ron hoped that he and Hermione wouldn't have to get married there, but that was still a ways off. They were delaying it until their financial background was secure. Right now, neither of them had a job or any extra money, so they had to either wait or depend on their parents. They chose wait. Ron knew his parents didn't have the money, and Hermione knew her parents had spent so much on her during the past several months when she had been sick. 

They talked about this while Hermione was just getting up the next morning. She wasn't really tired, just physically exhausted. Ron was waiting for breakfast, the smell of bacon frying tempted him.

"Ron!" his mother called from a few flights down. "Breakfast is ready!" Ron asked Hermione to join him, but she wasn't at all hungry and declined. When Ron came back upstairs, she had fallen asleep.

"So much for not being tired," he said.

Ron had a few chores to do. He unpacked his trunk, de-gnomed the garden, and started to sort through old school papers deciding which might be useful to him later. He had finally decided that none were worth saving, and had a huge stack of papers to take outside and burn, when he heard a tap on his window. Pig must be back from his night hunting. Ron set the papers down on his bed, and looking into Pig's cage, saw his grey runt of an owl flying around madly behind the bars.

The tapping wasn't Pig. In fact, Ron thought as he opened the window, he hadn't ever seen this owl before. It was a brown barn owl, nothing spectacular, but it had a large envelope in its beak. The owl didn't wait - as soon as Ron took the envelope, it flew back out again. But before Ron could even open the envelope, it came back. 

"What do you want?" Ron asked. Maybe it could smell the owl treats he hid under his bed. Ron looked at the owl. It was the same type of owl, but obviously not the same exact one. It was holding yet another huge envelope, somewhat like the first. He took this one, too, opened it, and started to pull out the piece of parchment.

* * *

"Hermione!" Ron called, bursting through the door to her room. "Look what I got in the mail today!" He held out a long piece of parchment, which she took and started to read.

__

Dear Mr. Weasley,

Congratulations on your high score on the NEWTs and your graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are writing to offer you a position as assistant in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. This position pays top dollar, leaves room for promotion, flexible hours, and a chance to participate in international tournaments and sporting events. We are particularly interested in you because you have an excellent record as Keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. 

Please think about joining our crew. We look forward to your acceptance owl.

Sincerely,

Ludovic Bagman, Head of Department

"Wow, Ron!" Hermione gasped. "A top job at the Ministry. I bet your mom's happy!"

"You bet," Ron replied. "But that's not all. Read this!" He shoved another letter into her hands.

__

Dear Mr. Weasley,

Congratulations on your high score on the NEWTs and your graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We are writing to offer you a position as assistant in the Department of International Magical Cooperation. This position pays top dollar, leaves room for promotion, flexible hours, and a chance to meet and interact with members of the magical community around the world.

Please think about accepting this position. We look forward to your acceptance owl.

Sincerely,

Percival Weasley, Head of Department

"Two? Which offer are you going to take?"

"Neither. I don't think I could stand to work for Bagman or Percy for very long."

"Neither? Well, Ron, you're going to need a job sooner or later."

Ron smiled mysteriously, then held up a short stack of papers. "These are all the owls I got this morning, asking me to come work for various places." Hermione took the stack and began to read through the letters. Each letter was almost identical, except for a few word changes and the different head of departments. Finally, she reached the end of the stack, a letter from the people at the Department of Magical Transportation, who said they would offer him a position as head assistant if he passed his Apparating test on the first try.

"There are so many!" Hermione exclaimed. 

"If you think this is a lot, you should wait till you get home and see how many are waiting for you."

"How are you ever going to decided which department to join?"

"I've already decided. I'm not joining any of these," Ron said casually. "I saved the best for last."

__

Dear Mr. Weasley,

Congratulations on your high score on the NEWTs and your graduation from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I am writing you from the Aurors' Academy in London to extend a special once-in-a-lifetime offer. We only accept one hundred new students per year from all over the country, but your 112% on the NEWTs impresses our selection committee, and we are willing to train you as an Auror.

"An Auror?? Wow!"

"Keep reading," Ron instructed, grinning.

__

Most job offers you are receiving now from the Ministry of Magic are for positions that can be started right away. Aurors also work for the Ministry, but work in a separate building with very little contact with anyone in other departments. Though it is a Ministry job, being an Auror is a very dangerous and complicated career, so one year of training at our Academy is required. You will be learning such subjects as how to recognize poisons and spells, catch Dark Arts criminals, and solve real-life cases. 

The Auror's Academy is usually only open to students of age nineteen or older, however, for you we are willing to make an exception. Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters are at large and must be caught, so we need as many new trainees as we can find. Our Academy generally charges tuition of 15,000 galleons-

"Fifteen thousand galleons? You'll never be able to come up with that much…"

"Stop interrupting and just read the letter, will you?"

__

-but we are willing to pay your full tuition to come and train with us for a year. The term starts in September and lasts until June, like a regular school year. Please consider our offer; we believe you have many times demonstrated the qualities we find in our best Aurors. 

Sincerely,

Gudgeon Post, Head Auror

Hermione sat in stunned silence. "Being an Auror is really risky. I don't know if I like the thought of you running around after Dark wizards all day long."

"Oh, come on, Hermione. That's all we ever did at school, and that was _without_ training. Once I go to the Academy for a year, I'll be really good. Then you won't have to worry. And Aurors get paid quite a bit of money."

"Oh, I suppose. But you'll be careful, won't you?"

"Of course. But you don't have to worry yet. I won't be going on any missions for another year. I'm going to go respond right now! Imagine me, an Auror! No one in my family has ever done that before!"

* * *

Ron told all of his relatives about his letters, and for once, everyone was proud of him. None of his older brothers could overshadow him with this - they had never done it before. In a few days, Hermione felt well enough to go home, but she promised she would be back in August for the wedding. Ron and Ginny wrote her letters, and she wrote back to them. She was getting better and stronger. 

Meanwhile, Ron had the whole summer ahead of him. Auror school wasn't going to cost him any money, but he wasn't going to be making any money, either. He needed a summer job so he could get enough to buy new school supplies, and save up for the future. 

All of his family members offered him jobs. Both his father and Percy asked him to become temporary assistants in their departments. Charlie wanted him to come help him train baby dragons. Bill wanted him to teach him how to break curses in old tombs. But the offer Ron liked best was Fred and George's. Fred was busier than usual, trying to get his wedding in order, so Ron took some shifts at Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. He had to stock the shelves, run the register, and sometimes he was even forced to try out the products. But the pay was good, and Ron got to see lots of his friends from Hogwarts. The store had been successful since it had first opened; there was even talk of buying out Zonko's.

The rest of June and July passed swiftly. August and the wedding approached, and Ron had to take even more shifts to cover Fred, who had to keep running around to buy last minute items. Ron didn't really mind; after all, the more he worked, the more money he made, and the sooner he would be doing the same thing.

The Friday before the wedding, Fred had the day off and Ron and George were alone at the shop. It was a slow day, sunny and humid, so that no one wanted to leave their houses. They had thought about closing the shop that day (it was already closed the entire weekend), but George was having lunch with the owner of Zonko's. At 11:30, George left, and Ron was manning the shop by himself. Fred and George had been trying to convince Ginny to work for them all summer, but she had instead taken a filing position at her father's office. She believed that it was only fair for her to contribute to the family income since she was one of the only ones left. Ron was paying for his own school supplies, so why couldn't she? Ron sighed. He wished she were here now. He was bored and lonely, and waiting for three o'clock, when he could finally call it quits and go home. 

The bell on the door chimed, but Ron didn't look up. George couldn't possibly be back yet, and no one came in and to the register that fast. They were happier left to browse on their own. He was trying to catch up his summer assignment he had received by owl in July, along with his acceptance. He was so caught up in the book, _Unsolved Magical Mysteries_, that he hardly noticed anyone standing at the counter. 

The person didn't like being ignored, and next, Ron heard a very loud clearing of the throat. Still not looking up, he grumbled, "Can I help you?"

"That's a pretty lengthy book you're reading, Ron," Hermione said. 

Finally, he looked up, then, glancing cautiously around for other customers and not seeing any, jumped over the counter. "Hermione!" he exclaimed. "You said you weren't coming until after dinner!"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I was ready, and a train was leaving at 10:30."

"That's why you should learn to Apparate."

"I know how."

"Then take the test and prove it."

"I'm not ready yet."

"Oh, come on, it isn't that hard. You just leave from the target, Apparate to this building and Apparate back. What's the big deal?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'll take the test next week. You can take me. Anyway, you're unhappy that I came this early?"

"No! Of course not! I'm glad to see you." He showed her with a kiss. 

"So are you working or studying?" she asked.

"Both, I guess. There's no one here, if you haven't noticed."

"I noticed, but I'm surprised you did."

Ron tapped her lightly with his book. 

"Wow, Ron, what are you doing?" George asked, coming in through the back door. "Abusing your fiancée?"

"Ha, ha, George," Ron said.

"Anyway, it's nice to see you, Hermione. Ron, want to help me? We need to open some more boxes of Blasting Balloons."

"Great," Ron muttered. Last time he had handled those, he had ended up almost catching his hair on fire. "Hermione, mind the shop, will you?"

Hermione took Ron's chair behind the register (although she went around the counter instead of over it), and the boys headed into the storage room.

"How'd it go with that guy from Zonko's?"

"He won't sell," said George, somewhat angrily. "But once we send out that last shipment of Dragon Stix, we'll have enough to open another shop down in Hogsmeade. Then he'll be sorry _and_ out of business."

They opened the boxes without mishap; then Ron joined Hermione at the front of the store while George went to shelve the balloons.

After what seemed like an agonizingly long three hours, the three headed back to the Burrow, where they were immediately forced into helping set up. Everyone went to bed both exhausted and excited. 

* * *

The wedding day came. People were flying in and out of the house like chickens with their heads cut off. Meanwhile, there was a struggle for everyone to take a shower in the two bathrooms, and Mrs. Weasley dropped a cake face down on the just-cleaned kitchen floor. But by the time people started to show up, the floor was once again spotless, everyone was outside, dressed, and clean, and all the preparations were in order.

The Johnsons had a very small family, and the Weasleys, of course, had a very large one. One of Angelina's cousins was the ring bearer, and another was the flower girl. The wedding actually reminded Ron very much of Percy's, which was strange because Percy and Penelope were _very_ different people than Fred and Angelina. The only noticeable difference was that Percy's had been inside on a very frigid day, and Fred's was in the garden, in stifling heat. By the time lunch was over, the new cake was half melted, and Ron's grandfather had practically passed out from heat exhaustion. 

When the excitement of the day was over, Ron said goodbye to Hermione and her parents, and to Fred and George. School was starting the next Thursday, and he was done working. Now it was time to finish his homework, buy his supplies, and get ready for the toughest school year of his life.


	2. Chapter 2

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Spells and Spiders

~*RW*~

School had been in session for an entire term already; sometimes Ron could hardly believe it went so fast - and so slow. He was bogged down with homework, seven different classes each day, and on top of all that, he still liked to see Hermione on the weekends. It was hard juggling everything into his daily schedule. 

Ron had finally given up and let Hermione show him how to use the telephone she had bought him at Christmas. He had put up a lot of protest when she came to teach him how to use it, but he liked hearing her voice sometimes on really bad days. He seemed to have many of those.

The Aurors' Academy classes were tough, but it was nothing compared to loneliness Ron felt when he was there. Everyone else was older and seemed to think that he had bought his way in. No amount of hand-me-down materials and high-water robes could convince them otherwise. Even when they weren't mocking him, they were ignoring him, and he wasn't sure which he hated more. He would have been glad to go to school with Malfoy, just to see a familiar face. Besides that, lessons were long and boring, the school day started early, and though it finished at a normal hour, there were endless afternoons of homework to do. 

The Academy offered board, but it wasn't included in Ron's offer, and as he had learned how to Apparate, he didn't think it necessary. But he was the only one left at home now that Ginny was back in school, and his mother never seemed to leave him alone while he was trying to get his work done. The only thing keeping him going was the thought that he got to see Hermione every Friday night when he went to her house, or as she started getting better, she came to his. 

Both families were happy with this arrangement, and there were extra rooms at each house for guests. Ron had even caught him mom talking on the telephone with Mrs. Granger, chatting and gossiping away. 

Mid-year exams had passed, and now the school was in its usual state. Some of Ron's classes were interesting enough, but the professors found ways to make them boring with droning lectures and rolls of essays. Ron was doing well, but it was only because he had nothing better to do than go home and do his homework. Meanwhile, Hermione's father was trying to teach him how to drive a car, and Ron was persuading Hermione to take her Apparating test. Neither was going so well, and now Ron was in his room, daydreaming of ways to ask his parents for enough money to even get his license. "It's a practical thing to have, even if you can fly around on your broomstick," Hermione had said. "Your dad even had a car once." That car had gotten him and Harry into trouble one time, and Ron wasn't all too keen on having to drive another one, even though they were getting more and more common among wizards.

Ron looked down and the paragraphs in the textbook loomed up at him. _Who is the culprit, and how did Moody know where to find him? Be sure to use the evidence to explain your answer._ They were all short scenarios he had to come up with an answer to, then he had to memorize facts about sixteen different trials from the earlier reign of the Dark Lord Voldemort (he was getting better at hearing the name now without flinching). He messily jotted down something about the plant stuck on the bottom of the victim's boots, and he was done with his homework. The memorization was easy; he could touch up on his facts at lunch. He had nothing better to do, after all.

The phone sat there, waiting for him to use it. He wanted to, but Hermione would already be asleep. Tomorrow morning she had a big meeting with Cornelius Fudge. 

After her illness, Hermione had wanted to spread the cure to everyone else. But it couldn't be done openly. Unicorns were thought to be only myth in the Muggle world. Hermione had huge and complex plans to start up trade for the mysterious powder in small African countries where AIDS was most prevalent. However, there were very strict rules about foreign trade, especially wizard-Muggle trade or magic goods, so she needed to get the position approved by the Minister himself. She had been waiting since Christmas to meet with him, and it was now the beginning of February. Fudge was a very busy man, especially in this time of great fear and crime. 

Ron didn't want to bother Hermione, knowing how important this job was to her, so he decided to get to bed instead. Tomorrow was Thursday, and that meant only one more day until he could see her again. Quickly, he shoved his books into his bag, pulled on his pajamas and crawled into bed.

* * *

The clock on the wall chimed six times. "Not already," Ron groaned sleepily, but the long hand was pointing to "Get up, lazybones!" Grumbling, he got up and dressed, and went down to the kitchen.

When all nine Weasleys had lived at home, there was always a large commotion when Ron went to breakfast, but with just him and his parents there, it was usually quiet. But as he shuffled down the stairs, Ron could hear his parents' voices talking gravely in hushed voices.

"Who died?" he joked, entering the kitchen. His father held up the front page of the _Daily Prophet_. 

****

MINISTER, MURDERED!

British Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, was assassinated, apparently late last night. 

"When I went into work this morning," said a Ministry spokesperson, Oliver Wood, assistant for the Department of Magical Games and Sports, "I saw the Dark Mark hanging over the building. Of course, I was so nervous, I couldn't even bring myself to go inside and check it out." 

Wood, 21, alerted the Departments of Magical Law Enforcement and Dark Arts Detection, and they found Fudge, dead in his office. The door was broken in, and this is an obvious crime involving You-Know-Who, or at least, some of his followers. The building is undergoing major searches at the present. See tomorrow's paper for a follow-up report.

Ron picked up the phone, not worried that it was only six thirty in the morning. "Hermione! Have you seen today's _Prophet_?"

"Hmmm…?" Hermione asked sleepily. "You do know what time it is, don't you? You haven't forgotten my meeting today?"

"You mean the meeting that's canceled?" 

"How do you know it's canceled? What happened?"

"Look at your paper!" There was the sound of rustling and a gasp. "Killed! Oh, no, this is terrible!"

"See, Hermione, this is why we need Aurors. If I had been investigating, I would have found the murderer already!"

"Oh, please. You haven't even been on a real mission yet. Wait, there's an owl coming. It looks important. Have fun at school, Ron!" She hung up. 

* * *

While everyone at school was jabbering about the crisis, and the teachers had all changed or canceled their lessons to talk about it, Ron was thinking of something different altogether. 

He had had that dream again last night. It was a dream he had been having more and more frequently lately. It always started off differently. Last night, he had seen the spider on the wall in the bathroom, and it had just started to grow and grow until it was the size of the house. Then it became all the other dreams: someone was screaming while the thing tried to bite him and poison him. He had woken up then, but sometimes he lasted long enough for the thing to kill him off. Sometimes, he even heard the voice screaming his name. But no matter how many times he had it, he couldn't make any sense of it. He supposed he was just so much more nervous now for the safety of the wizarding world that old fears started to haunt him. He tried not to worry about it, but everything he looked at seemed to be a spider. Still, the attack on the Minister nagged at his mind, too. If the Ministry fell completely, Voldemort would have full reign.


	3. Chapter 3

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Spells and Spiders

~*BC*~

__

Congratulations. You did well.

On what, my lord?

__

Killing Cornelius Fudge, of course. Although, I am displeased that you did it without my orders.

I didn't kill him, master.

__

Then who did?

I don't know.

__

I did not order anyone to do it.

Maybe it wasn't one of us.


	4. Chapter 4

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Spells and Spiders

~*RW*~

There was much commotion for the rest of that week, while the Ministry tried even harder to catch the Death Eaters responsible for the Minister's assassination. A replacement Minister, Blair Winston, was put into place, and elections would be held as usual in two years, so as not to mess up the election process. 

Terror reigned among the people. If the Dark Lord could kill such a powerful and well-protected man, he could surely kill them just as easily.

After a month, the commotion died down and people went back to their normal routines. Ron turned nineteen and continued to do well at the Auror's Academy. Hermione received an owl from Blair Winston, apologizing for the delay, and agreeing to meet with her on Monday for lunch. Ron called her as soon as he came home from school that afternoon. "Tell me all about it," he said.

"Well, for starters, he's a very nice man, and much more attentive than Fudge was. He likes the idea, and he offered me a position in either the department of International Magical Cooperation or the Department of Muggle Protection."

"So either way, you'll be working for one of my family members."

"Yes. I thought it better to work under your father than Percy." Ron laughed and had to agree. "So, they have to run a few extensive background checks, then I'll start work."

"What are you going to do exactly? You're not going to make all the potions yourself?"

"Of course not! Don't be silly! My job will be to manage the manufacturing of the unicorn powder, the recipes, the sales, and the trade from Africa to Britain."

"Why Africa here? Why not here to Africa?"

"Don't you think that we'd try to take advantage of it and raise the prices? This way, the prices will be better, trade fairer - and if it isn't, I'll be there to oversee. Plus, there are lots more AIDS patients in Africa than there are here. Of course, they'll also have to trade with the rest of Europe and the US. I'm going to make sure that everyone is able to get treatment at an affordable rate. And while all this is going on, I'm going to set up better hospitals and health care in general."

"Jeez… someone's got big plans for the world. I'm sorry I asked!"

"Ron, this is very important to me, and the rest of the world."

"I know, I know. It's important to me, too. Good luck, and I hope they don't find out about that… 'incident' when they do your background check."

"Professor McGonagall took that off, remember? Harry was able to persuade her not to put it on our records. But if the Academy runs checks, I'm surprised they would accept you!"

"Ha, ha, very funny. Speak of the Devil, you haven't heard from Harry lately, have you?"

"No. I sent him a couple owls, but he never wrote back. And I sent him a birthday present and he never sent me a note or anything. That's not like him. I wonder if he's alright."

"I haven't heard from him either. But we know Harry can take care of himself, don't we?"

* * *

Hermione started work by the end of March, and they never found out about "the incident," or if they did, they didn't say anything. She liked her new job, and she especially liked working with Mr. Weasley. Even so, they were both much busier now, with Ron cramming all his information for the written exams at the beginning of May, and Hermione spending her days pouring over statistics, charts, and of course, books. They could still see each other once a week, when Mr. Granger taught Ron how to drive. Hermione had finally gone to take her Apparating test and had passed with flying colors. It was easier to Apparate into work than to drive, since the Ministry building was a small, ordinary-looking office building in the middle of London. City traffic was horrible, so it was much better to Apparate into the lobby and walk down to her office.


	5. Chapter 5

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Spells and Spiders

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~*RW*~

It was only one day until graduation, and Ron was more relaxed than he had been since September. His written exams had been at the beginning of May, and had been brutal. If he thought the NEWTs had been bad, they were nothing compared to the Auror's exams. He had one three-hour exam in each of his seven subjects, one every other day for three weeks. The day before was spent cramming information into his brain, and trying to remember everything he had learned the past year. Hermione helped, of course, on the phone, and in person for Ron's harder exams. 

The following weeks had been spent shadowing more experienced Aurors, then the practical exams were the last week of May. These were the obstacle courses, potion testings, and curses they had to perform, whereas the other tests had been essays and short answer questions in thirty-page packets. 

But finally, it was all over. The graduation ceremony was the following morning, and Ron was looking forward to it. Only about fifteen students were graduating, and they all were guaranteed jobs. Ron knew that he would be working hard and making more money than his father or any of his brothers. That scared him a little bit, but he didn't worry. He had wanted this job. 

Hermione was taking the day off of work to go to his graduation, and his parents were coming. It wasn't going to be a big deal. After that, Ron had the week off before he had to get moved into his new office and start working all over again.

Ron woke up the next morning with butterflies in his stomach. He had felt the same way about his Hogwarts graduation. But he didn't have the same love for the Academy than he had for Hogwarts - or the people for that matter. When he was dressed and ready, he and his parents Apparated together, and met Hermione in the front hallway.

"All graduating students, please report to the stage. We are about to begin. Will all guests please find their seats?"

Hermione and the Weasleys sat down. Ron watched them from the stage, as he sat down with his classmates. At least he wouldn't have to give a speech. 

The Auror's graduation ceremony was short. Gudgeon Post made a short speech about what the Aurors had had to go through to get this far. Then, each of their names were called and they received a diploma. Afterwards, there were a few tables of cookies and punch, and gradually everyone left to report back in one week. 

Hermione was invited back to the Weasleys' for the night. Ron owled all his family members to tell them the news, and he told her that he was finally ready to get his license. He had saved up a few bucks to get one.

"Ron," his father said, approaching the kitchen table where Ron and Hermione had been sitting for the past few hours. "We have a little graduation present for you."

"A graduation present? You didn't have to…"

"Well, it's not quite the whole thing, but you'll see in a minute."

His mother held out a key.

"What's that for?"

"Your new apartment. Hermione helped us pick it out. We made a down payment."

"Wow. Thanks!" He could hardly believe that his parents would do that for him. 

"Let's go look!" Hermione suggested. So all four of them Apparated to the front of the building.

"What, you can't Apparate inside?" Ron asked, disappointedly.

"You can," Hermione answered. "I just didn't want you to at first."

They walked inside and up a few flights of stairs. Then they came to a door, which Hermione opened with a key.

"This is a wizard apartment building," she explained, "but they still use some Muggle devices, and all electronics still work here. That's why I thought it would be best for both of us."

Ron smiled as she opened the door. The apartment was small. There were two bedrooms, a small kitchen, and a living room around the fireplace. It was empty now, but once they moved in, it would be cozy. Ron loved it.

"This is great!" he exclaimed. "When can we move in?"

"I thought this week, since you don't have to work. I could take off."

"I'm not sure your boss would approve you taking a whole week off, Hermione," Mr. Weasley joked. 

"Well maybe her boss should take some time off, too, and help out," Mrs. Weasley said. 

So it was settled. Ron and Hermione gathered their things and packed them up. They each moved their beds into each of the bedrooms. Eventually they would get a larger bed for the master bedroom. Hermione's parents had an old sofa in their basement, so they took that, too. All of Ron's relatives had a few things to donate, and Hermione had some money to buy new things when needed. By the end of the week, they were half settled into the new apartment.

The next step was getting married. 


	6. Chapter 6

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Spells and Spiders 

~*HP*~

Harry Potter hid in the shadows of the alley. He was alone again, but not for long. Voldemort had earned himself some followers and Harry needed some if he was ever going to take down the Dark Lord once and for all. He had been in power for two years now, two years too long. He had to be stopped.

He dared a peek around the corner of the building he was huddled against. He had intercepted some important information about a meeting tonight. He worked independently now, no Dumbledore, no Sirius, no anyone. Harry hardly talked to anyone except the people he captured to get information from. It was easier this way. Catching one person was much harder than catching a group. 

His heart stopped as he heard footsteps down the alley. He threw on his Invisibility cloak. "What are we doing with her?"

"Nothing yet. You know the orders."

"Yes, sir."

A breeze whizzed by, and Harry grabbed the hood of his cloak just in time to save it from falling off. The Death Eater who had come down the alley lost his hood, revealing white blonde hair.

"Malfoy…" Harry whispered to himself.

"Well done. We'll wait until Master gives us more orders."

"Very well." There were two small pops and they were gone.

Harry threw off his cloak. "I wonder what they were talking about. I need to find out where this headquarters is."


	7. Chapter 7

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Spells and Spiders

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~*RW*~

Ron was glad to be going home. The first week of being a true Auror had been overwhelming, and he was looking forward to spending the weekend with Hermione. He put a few of his papers into his desk drawer and walked down to the lobby of the building. It was impossible to Apparate or Disapparate from anywhere except the lobby. It was a safety measure to prevent break-ins.

Ron Disapparated and appeared in the front of his apartment, where he took off his cloak and hung it on a hook behind the door. He heard the TV from inside.

"Hermione! I'm home!" he called. He used to think Hermione had worked late, but usually he was home much later than she was.

There was no answer, so Ron walked out of the front hallway. "Hermione?" he called. He couldn't believe she would have stepped out and left the TV on.

He looked around the room. It had been ransacked. A pillow was ripped and feathers had been thrown all over the place. Hermione's books had been thrown off the shelf, and ripped out pages were floating around the room. 

"What the hell happened here?"' Ron found himself shouting.

No one answered. The Auror in him was thinking fast. He searched around the room for any kind of clue. There was nothing there, but he didn't think that if someone had been searching for something that they would have taken her. They would have killed her. So it was her they were after. The mess would have been caused by a struggle. Hermione had fought back. 

He tried to run through the steps he had learned, but he was too emotionally attached to think clearly. They never taught you what to do if your own fiancée was kidnapped. There was no apparent motive, no suspects, no clues of any kind. 

What was he going to do?


	8. Chapter 8

****

Spells and Spiders 

****

~*HP*~

The Dark Mark glowed on many arms tonight. The Dark Lord had called a meeting, and miraculously, Harry had learned about it. Walking around with his Invisibility Cloak on all the time, he heard a lot of random bits of information. 

He had to be very careful this time. It was said that Voldemort could see through the cloak, and Harry didn't doubt it. He filed into the room with the rest of the Death Eaters, and hid in the shadows. 

Voldemort stood, and everyone was silent.

"Crouch, please report."

"We have captured the Mudblood, my lord."

"Good, good. And what did you do with the girl?"

"She's in the dungeons."

"And Potter?"

"He will come."

"How can you be sure?"

"Well, we can't be sure, but he has spies everywhere."

In his corner, Harry snickered. Spies? He had no spies.

"Fools!" Voldemort shouted, banging his fist on the table. "You didn't even leave a ransom note at their apartment?"

"N-No, master, w-we didn't."

"Crucio!"

Crouch shrieked, but Harry had heard enough.


	9. Chapter 9

****

Spells and Spiders 

****

~*RW*~

And so had Ron. Hermione was somewhere in the basement. But why did they think that capturing her was going to bring Harry to them? Harry and Hermione hadn't spoken for two years now.

But he knew that she was here now. He needed to prepare a bit, but tomorrow he would be back. It sounded like they were going to keep her alive as bait for Harry. But he didn't know what kind of torture she would be put through. The sooner he rescued her, the better.

****

~*HP*~

Harry felt a pang of guilt. He had to rescue Hermione; she was his friend. And even if they hadn't seen each other since graduation, it was his fault she was in danger. He had to rescue her. They would be expecting him, so he had to be careful. This required some preparation. But tomorrow, he would storm the castle and defeat his rival once and for all.

****

~*RW*~

Ron arrived at the base the next night. He had done his research. No one had ever dared break into Voldemort's fortress before. But Ron was confident. He had to save Hermione. If he didn't, who would?

****

~*HP*~

There were two doors inside the base. One was heavily guarded, Harry noticed. The other had only two men guarding it. Voldemort would expect him to take the path less guarded, but he wasn't going to give Voldemort the pleasure of being right. He approached the guarded door, wand raised.

"Surrender or die!" he called.

"Potter!" someone shouted.

"I'm warning you…. You don't have to work for him, you know. You can come and work for me. On the other side."

A spell shot at him, whizzing by his left ear.

"Well, if that's your decision…." He spun around, aiming at the high wall of the tower. Rocks and boulders crashed down, crushing his opponents.

__

That was a little too easy, he thought as he blasted the gate and ran down towards the dungeons. More rocks fell, blocking the door. There was no way out. He had to go through with this.

****

~*RW*~

Ron stared at the two gates. One was blocked with rock, and two Death Eaters guarded the other. It would take too much time to move the rock, so he chose the gate with the Death Eaters. Ron took a sleeper bomb from his pocket and performed the Bubblehead Charm on himself. It was a simple Auror's trick: surprise the enemy. When they're waiting for a wand attack, they're hit with the pink dust and fall asleep in seconds. The stuff stays in the air for several hours, invisible, to trap any reinforcements or followers. He chucked the bomb towards the door.

There was a loud explosion, and pink dust was visible for a few seconds. The Death Eaters fell to the floor. Ron rushed through the gate, closing it behind him.

****

~*HP*~

Harry, wand lit, flew down the corridors. He had no idea where he was going, or what he would face when he got there, but all the passages looked the same. He wasn't even certain that he wasn't just going around in circles. But Voldemort would want him to find the hostage, so he knew he would get there. Suddenly, he heard a girl's scream. He took a sharp turn and ran down another damp hallway towards the sound.

****

~*RW*~

Ron heard a scream and stopped dead in his tracks. They were torturing her! He lit his wand as he started to run down dark corridor after another. He only hoped he wouldn't be too late.

****

~*HP*~

Harry saw light near the end of the corridor and slowed his pace a bit.

"Don't worry, Harry," he heard the cold, familiar voice say. "I've worked too hard to kill you in a sneak attack. Come."

Harry walked warily into the light, where Hermione was shaking the bars of her prison cell.

"Harry! Help me!" Hermione cried.

"Quiet, silly girl!" Voldemort shouted, shooting her with a spell. She crumpled to the floor. "Now that I've got you, Harry, I don't need to make her scream anymore. Once our battle is over, I'll probably kill her. I wouldn't want to kill your love in front of you - while you're still in fighting shape, anyway." He laughed.

"Ha!" Harry shouted. "Shows how good your spies are! I haven't talked to Hermione for years! We were friends in school, nothing more. I didn't come because I cared about her safety. I came for you."

"You are here, that's all that matters," Voldemort said, although he looked angry that his spies had failed to give him good information. "I just want you to know that I had my wand replaced just for you. A different phoenix feather. It took me quite a while to track one down." He laughed again.

"I'm surprised you were able to get here so quickly. Of course, I really didn't think you would choose the door with only two guards. You are too clever. However, if you had, you would have been here much faster." He pointed to an entranceway behind him, on the other side of Hermione's cell. "It's a direct route. But Mr. Potter is much too good to kill only two men!" The laugh was starting to scare Harry, as many times as he had heard it before. "There will be no child's play this time! You are a full-grown wizard now, and I will treat you like one! Now bow!"

Harry bowed slightly, not taking his eyes off the snake-like face.

"_Arach Jurus!_" Voldemort shouted. Something large and black started to slip out of the end of his wand. "You've defeated two of my best monsters. Now prepare for the third!"

A gigantic spider squeezed out of the tip of the wand. Harry backed away. "_Lumos Solem_!" he cried, and a blast of blinding light filled the cavern. The spider screeched and scuttled off towards the doorway that Voldemort had mentioned earlier. Voldemort was still shielding his eyes, and Harry took this opportunity to hit him with a Cruciatus curse. He wanted to see him suffer before he died.

****

~*RW*~

There was a blast of light at the end of the passage, and then a weird scuttling noise. It was creepy. Then he heard screaming, but it wasn't the same voice as before. It was a man's voice. Was Hermione battling her captor?

The other noise was coming closer. It echoed horribly around the wet walls of the dungeons.

Suddenly, Ron realized. The wet, dark tunnels, the screams…. This was his dream! And if it was really coming true, he was about to meet the biggest spider he had ever seen.

****

~*HP*~

Voldemort struggled to his feet. "So, you're not afraid to use the unforgivable curses?"

"Not on you."

"Well, then, that should make things a bit more interesting."

"Less talk and more spells," Harry said, "Or are you too afraid to fight me?"

"Afraid? Ha! I've been waiting eighteen years for this day. I'm enjoying this, Potter. Can you deny me that?"

"_Serpensortia_!" A snake slithered out of Harry's wand.

"You want to play with snakes? What? You forget I'm a Parselmouth?"

"Wouldn't it be wonderful if one was your downfall? _Kill him_," Harry hissed.

The snake slithered towards Voldemort and took a bite.

****

~*RW*~

The spider appeared around the bend. Ron gasped. It filled the tunnel. It had giant pincers, long fangs, thick hairy legs, and eight red glaring eyes. It hissed at him, then charged.

Ron didn't know what to do. Terror rooted him to the spot. He always woke up before the spider was about to kill him, but this was no dream. If it got him, he would never wake up.

****

~*HP*~

The snake sunk its fangs into Voldemort's flesh. He shot it with his wand, exploding it into bits. "_Fosforus_!" he shouted. Harry was hit in the chest with a great yellow beam, which forced him back into the wall. He slid down and felt blood over his eye. Wiping it away quickly, he stood, not ready yet to give up.

****

~*RW*~

The spider spit venom at him like a snake. Ron was able to dodge in time; the venom only burned his robes. He shot a Conjunctivitis curse at the spider, hitting a few of its eyes. The spider, half blinded, blundered around, hitting Ron and knocking the wind out of him. His wand skidded across the floor. The spider lunged again, and there was no time to grab it. He had to face his fears. It was only a spider. Yeah, a spider with poison spit and creepy-crawly legs.

Suddenly, there was a loud thump from somewhere else underground. A few rocks fell, hitting the spider's head. It dazed him for a moment, and Ron grabbed for his wand, but the spider, in its rage, kicked it out of reach.

__

Think fast, Ron told himself. _They're torturing Hermione!_ Without his wand, he shot a blast of fire at the spider, catching one of its legs on fire. The spider screeched and thrashed about, trying to put it out. Ron grabbed his wand and pointed it at the underside of the spider.

"Coupos!" he shouted. The wand shot out and cut the spider's belly. Green blood spurted everywhere. But it was still alive and the fire now seemed to have put itself out. In a last ditch attempt, the spider grabbed Ron with its pincers and started to squeeze. It lowered its head and bit his hand, trying to make him drop the wand.

__

I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, Ron thought. Suddenly, deep in his memory, he saw the classroom. Moody and his three spiders. The Unforgivable Curses - "the use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban." Ron had to save himself to save Hermione, and he wouldn't let her die just because he was scared.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" he shouted. The spider dropped dead on the spot, dropping him in the process. He landed on the stone floor. His body ached, but he wasn't too badly hurt. He stood and climbed over the spider to the end of the passage.

****

~*HP*~

Voldemort was breathing in short gasps as the snake venom flowed slowly through his bloodstream. Harry's back hurt immensely, but one of them was going to die that day, and they wouldn't stop fighting until it happened.

Neither of them moved for a few minutes, which proved how evenly matched they were. Harry wiped blood off his forehead and wondered if another lightning shaped scar had appeared.

Footsteps down the back corridor. Reinforcements were coming. The battle had to end now. If Voldemort wasn't dead, they would kill him. If Voldemort was dead, they would kill him with all the more reason. It seemed better to die if he had done his job.

"Hermione!" Ron shouted, flying around the corner.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" Harry shouted. Voldemort fell to the floor, and Harry collapsed.

****

~*RW*~

Harry had just used an Unforgivable Curse on a human being. Voldemort was dead. But Ron was more worried about Hermione. He rushed to her cell. "Hermione!" he repeated. "Wake up!" Hermione didn't move.

"What did he do to her, Harry?" Ron shouted. Harry stood slowly and went to the cell door. He picked up Voldemort's wand and used it as a key to open the cell.

Ron rushed inside and crouched next to Hermione. As he lifted her up, she opened her eyes.

"Ron!"

"Hermione! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Where's Harry?" At this point, Harry sank back to the floor. "Are you alright? What happened?"

"I killed him, that's all that matters." Harry got up, broke Voldemort's wand in half and threw it to the floor alongside the body. Then he Disapparated and was gone.

Ron helped Hermione up, and they headed out of the fortress. They Apparated right into London, right outside the Auror's building. Ron rushed up to his boss's office as fast as he could, dragging Hermione along behind him.

"Ron!" she gasped. "Wait up!"

Finally they were there. He knocked briskly on the door. Gudgeon Post, the Head Auror came out. "Weasley, is it? What do you need?"

"Sir, I don't mean to be rude," Ron said, stumbling over the words in his haste, "but Lord Voldemort was just defeated! I saw it myself!"

"What?!" Post exclaimed. "Are you pulling my leg?"

"No, sir!"

"Then show me where."

Ron led the way back towards Voldemort's secret base. The guards were now awake, but didn't dare try anything on the Head Auror. Post placed them under a Freezing Spell, so that he could arrest them on the way back. They ran down the tunnel Ron had taken into the main chamber. The spider had disappeared - it was the product of a _Jurus_ spell, meaning it disappeared shortly after being defeated. Finally, they came to the main cavern.

"Wow, a body and everything. Good work, Weasley. I'd say this earns you a very large promotion."

"I didn't do it, sir."

"You didn't? You just happened upon a dead Dark Lord?" It was starting to sound suspicious.

"No, sir. It was Harry Potter. It happened like this…." Ron launched into the story of Hermione's kidnapping, with her interjecting along the way. Ron told of how he had found his way into the meeting ("Fine job, Weasley") and fighting the giant spider, at which point Hermione gasped and Post commanded Ron to roll up the sleeve of his robes. Before he had even started, they noticed that his sleeve was ripped; he had torn a piece off to make a bandage.

Post pulled of the bandage. "It's not that bad, Miss Granger," he assured her. "I doubt it's poisonous. But if it is, you'll be able to cure it. Miracle potions are your specialty, I hear."

Hermione blushed, and Ron had a feeling Post knew much more than how to catch a Dark Arts wizard.

"Continue," he instructed, and Ron finished telling his defeat of the Acromantula and his encounter with Harry.

Hermione wasn't much help, as she couldn't remember anything about the battle, but she did verify that Harry was there when she had woken up.

"Potter would have been sure," Post concluded. "It must be the real one." He conjured up a stretcher and brought Lord Voldemort back up to Auror's headquarters for examination.

****

~*HP*~

"LORD VOLDEMORT GONE AT LAST!" the headlines read. Harry crumbled the paper and threw it aside into the dark corners of the alley.

****

~*RW*~

Even though Ron had told his whole story, no one could find Harry Potter to give him the credit. Ron wondered if he had survived the battle. But Voldemort was undoubtedly dead - they burned his body and his wand together.

Ron was none the worse for wear, except for his ruined robes and two small fang marks on his right hand, between his thumb and forefinger. And besides a tiny amount of blood, he had lost something else:

His fear of spiders.

~*The End*~

Be sure to catch the next in this series, _November_. 


End file.
